Crime cleanup specialist leaves bloody scene in Douglas, police say

This story has been amended. The original contained incorrect time references.

DOUGLAS — A marketing manager for a crime-scene cleanup company is being held after allegations that he created a bloody crime scene of his own.

Paul M. Petherick, 41, of 22 North Street, was arraigned Wednesday in Uxbridge District Court on charges of domestic assault and battery, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault with a dangerous weapon and improperly storing a firearm. He is to return to court for a dangerousness hearing Sept. 20.

Court records indicated that Mr. Pretherick works for Aftermath Inc., which specializes in cleaning up blood.

According to court documents, Douglas police responded to a call at 22 North St. around 11:15 p.m. Tuesday reporting that a woman was being hit in the head with a gun.

They found a 39-year-old woman who said she has lived with Mr. Petherick for about a month, sitting on the sidewalk outside the house with blood all over her. She was taken to Milford Regional Medical Center for treatment of lacerations on the back of her head.

Police said they smelled alcohol on Mr. Petherick, who had gone back into the apartment, and took him into custody without incident.

He was booked at the police station and given a blood-alcohol test, which showed a reading of .202 percent.

The woman told police she and Mr. Petherick had been fighting about his drinking. According to the report, she had hidden a bottle of alcohol in the bedroom while Mr. Petherick was in another room. When she went to close the bedroom door, he allegedly approached her holding a gun, which she described as a .22, "the police kind."

She told police she was so scared that she curled into a fetal position and Mr. Petherick hit her on the head with the gun.

She said that the previous week she had stayed in a hotel because Mr. Petherick threatened "to put a hole in my head."

Police said in the apartment they found hundreds of rounds of ammunition, two loaded handguns in a safe and a loaded rifle in an unsecured case, as well as brass knuckles under the couch.